MUSIC LIST
0 Music is listed as diary: by day, then by city, then by event.
CLASSICAL
FRIDAY 6
Glasgow
0 BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Henry Wood Hall. Claremont Street. Tickets: 3302353 (Margaret Beaton. BBC). 12.15pm. £3 (£275(lp). Reminiscent ofold ()[d Grey Whistle Test days. Peter Donahue is the soloist in Rachmaninov‘s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini. He also features in Fauré‘s Ballade for Piano and Orchestra. while without him. but very definitely with conductor Jerzy Maksymiuk. the orchestra plays the Symphony No 8 by Scottish composer William Wordsworth and Haydn's Symphony No 96. bringing a bit of London to Glasgow — quite a Miracle.
O Midday Concert Stevenson Hall. RSAMI). Nelson Mandela Place. Free at door. 1pm. Songs by Haydn.
Brahms. Grieg and Francis George Scott. sometimes knows as the Schubert of the North. performed by Linda Finnie and Lawrence Glover. 0 Glasgow University Chapel Choir University Chapel. 7.30pm. Free at door. A bit out ofseason (only something like 258 shopping days to go) this small choir performs Palestrina’s Motet and Mass Hodie Cbristus natus est. Also psalrn settings by Poulenc and David Johnson. carols by John Joubert and Judith Weir and organ music by Andrea Gabrieli played by organ scholar John Stewart.
0 Kilmardinny Music Circle Kilmardinny House. 51) Kilmardinny Avenue. Bearsden. 9-13 (1313. 7.30pm. £3.51). The Lydian Ensemble in a programme ofFrench music followed by a buffet of French food (extra £2.50).
0 Strathclyde University Chamber ChoirHutcheson’s Hall. Ingram Street. Tickets: 552 5961 (Ticket Centre. Candleriggs). 8pm. {3 (£1.50) Acts and Galatea by Handel in this attractive National Trust restored property.
Edinburgh
0 Organ Recital McEwan Hall. Bristo Square. 1.10pm. Free at door. Wight Henderson plays Bach's Fantasia in G BWV 572 and Howell‘s Psalm Prelude No 2 (Set 1).
0 SNO Usher Hall. Lothian Road. 228 1155. 7.30pm. Extra date: Sat 7. Glasgow. £2—£8.8ll. Messiaen‘s Turangalia Symphony with the fascinating and other worldly sound of the electronic Ondes Martenot. Back to earth with Mozart‘s Symphony No 26.
TURDAY 7
G asgow
0 Glasgow Arts Centre Chamber Orchestra Renfield Street St Stephen‘s Church. 221 4526. 1pm. Free at door. Take a break from shopping at this special Saturday Shoppers‘ Recital featuring music by Vivaldi and Scarlatti. Youngsters playing are all from the Arts Centre‘s highly successful music projects.
0 Marriage of Figaro Theatre Royal. Hope Street.331 1234. 1.15pm. Extra dates: Wed 18 and Sat 21 March. Edinburgh. £3—£19. The last performance in Glasgow of Scottish Opera this season. A repeat ofJohn Cox‘s highly successful production first seen last year.
O Recital Pollok House. Pollok Country Park. 2060 Pollokshaws Road. 3pm. Free at door. An informal hour of music for harpsichord in the glorious setting of Pollok House.
As this issue goes to print, there is, unfortunately, only one performance left (excluding Aberdeen and Newcastle) of Scottish Opera’s stunning co-production with Welsh National Opera [by David Poutney] of Janacek’s From The House OtThe Dead. Its rivetting integration of theatre, music and design into one powerful and dramatic whole answers triumphantly justifying opera as the most expensive artform. And itwas as well itdid, fulfilling the high expectations of excellence promised by Managing Director, Richard Mantle, as he appealed from the platform preceding the performance for financial help from the public.
Based on Dostoyevsky’s Notes, written from his own experiences in a Siberain prison camp, From The House Of The Dead could hardly have been bettered as an opportunity to do so. Any accusations of expensive art going hand-in-hand with elitism are immediately dispelled. Here are timeless human issues reaching everyone—freedom, strength, oppression, justice, hope.
Maria Bjornson's dark, grim two-tier set opens to reveal the sleeping prisoners, packed up as if horrific mounds of dead, decaying corpses. As tthey mobilise, a strong cast emerges, both dramatically and musically. From The House Of TheDead is unusual in that there is no up-front starring role
FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD
(and only one female role to speak of,
who plays a boy), but the stamp of each character is imaginatively and sympathetically brought to life by all, and, in particular, Donald Maxwell's Shisitov, Graham Clark's Skuratov, John Mitchinson’s Luka and Nigel Douglas as Shapkin. Under Musical Director, Richard Armstrong, the Scottish Opera orchestra proves it can rival any other and the chorus too
enriches this production with its own vigourand energy.
From the House OfThe Dead by Janacelt is on at Edinburgh‘s King's Theatre on Thurs 19 March, His Majesty’s, Aberdeen on Thurs 12 March and the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne on 10 April. Sung in English the production has no interval and lasts approximately 1hr 40mins. (Carol Main)
O SNO City Hall. Candleriggs. 552 5961. 7.30pm. £2-£9. See Fri 6. Edinburgh for full description.
Edinburgh
0 Piccolo Pack Queen‘s Hall. Clerk Street. Ticket Centre. Waverley Bridge and TSB. Newington Branch,1()Clerk Street. 11am. £1 (child). £2 (adult). Great fun for kids with members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. This is the first of a series of three Piccolo Packs — this week it‘s an exploration of the world ofanimals. See Kids.
0 Fiddlers' Concert Usher Hall. Lothian Road. 22‘% 1 155. 7.30pm. £2.5(l—£3.5(l. Edinburgh Ilighland Reel and Strathspey Society set the feet tapping in one oftheir ever popular fiddlers‘ evenings.
0 Edinburgh University Singers Reid Concert Hall. Teviot Row. Bristo Square. Tickets at door. 7.30pm. £3 (£2). A performance of Bach‘s St John Passion with soloists Patricia MacMahon (busy with more Edinburgh University students in Britten‘s War Requiem tomorrow night). Adele Paxton. Clifford Hughes. Simon Crookall and Ian Darling. Conductor isJohn Grundy. o Georgian Concert Society St Cecilia's Hall. Cowgate. Tickets: 228 1155 (Usher Hall). 7.45pm. £3.75 (£2). Chandos Baroque Players and Michael Chance. counter-tenor. present a varied programme of Purcell. Arne. Scarlatti and Vivaldi in ‘Vauxhall to Venice‘).
0 Edinburgh Society of Musicians 2 Belford Road. Free at door. 8pm. The American pianist Joseph Banowetz gives a recital of music by Bach. Schubert. Balakirev. Grieg and Liszt as part of the Edinburgh Society of Musicians‘ regular Saturday evening activities.
SUNDAY 8 Glasgow
0 John Noble Finals Theatre Royal. Hope Street. 331 123-1. 7.30pm. Free at door. The piano accompanied finals ofthis prestigious singing competition open to young opera singers vying for a £1500 prize.
Edinburgh
0 War Requiem - Britten Usher Hall. Lothian Road. 228 1155. 7.45pm. £2—£4 (£2/£3) Edinburgh University Musical Society Chorus and Orchestra take a leap forward with a confident presentation of this powerful work. Soloists are Pat MacMahon. Neil Mackie and Stephen Varcoe and Christopher Bell conducts. Pamela Duncan’s Waverley Singers. always much in demand these days. also take part. 0 Mondrian Trio Queen‘s Hall. Clerk Street. 228 l 155 (Usher Hall). 7.45pm. £2.5()/£3.5(). Trios for violin. cello and piano by Haydn (Gipsy Rondo). Beethoven and Brahms.
o Concentus of London St Mary‘s Cathedral. Palmerston Place. Tickets at door. 7pm. £2.51). Motets. rnadrigals and part-songs by Byrd. Monteverdi. Debussy. Poulenc and Britten sung by six young professionals from London.
24 The List 6— 19 March